The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: The Future Awaits
by XioMarie87
Summary: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: The Future Awaits. Months after Chiaki went back to the future, Makoto and him promise to meet again, and she in return will save the painting he was desperate to see. Will Makoto wait for Chiaki? Or decide her own future? BAD SUMMARY


**(A/N: My newest fanfic of the animation film** ** _The Girl Who Leaped Through Time._** **I had to re-watch the dubbed and subtitled version. The plot bunnies would not leave me alone and summary short it takes place four and a half years after Chiaki went back to the future, and promised he would wait for Makoto. In return, she would save the painting Chiaki was desperately wanting to see. What got me to write this story, he wasn't allowed to have anyone other than Makoto know of '** ** _Time Leaping'_** **.**

 **Auntie Witch/Kazuko Yoshiyama will be playing an important role. No, you did not time leap to this story. Sorry, not sorry. Ha ha. I hope you enjoy the first chapter.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own TGWLTT nor any of its characters.**

 **" THE GIRL WHO LEAPED THROUGH TIME: THE FUTURE AWAITS"**

 **Chapter 1: Time is the Key**

" _I will never forget that summer, time flew by quickly. My heart was ready to give in and accept. As the seasons changed from summer to fall, winter came spring, time waits for no one, except_ for _one."_

 _Time can never change  
_

 _our laughs that carried in the wind  
_

 _Or the times that we would fight without a reason  
_

 _Looking back I think I just wanted to see a different side of you_

 _Remembering your laughing eyes,_

 _Your smile never really dies...  
_

 _All of these memories are still tucked in my beating heart.  
_

 _In this world full of strangers, I run to you  
_

 _'_ _Cuz I know you'll never let me down!_

 _Searching for the things, that always remain the same_

 _I'll never forget your smile on that bright sunny day_

 _My feelings they will never change, transcending time and space  
_

 _I just wanna meet you now,  
_

 _that you've gone without a trace_

 _Thoughts of you keep rushing back to me, now and again_

 _Whenever I see you, I see more than just a friend  
_

 _Waiting for the days to end so I could see you someday  
_

 _soon again..._

 _I can see right through your disguise,  
_

 _Those eyes they betray your lies  
_

 _Even now I can see you as clear as the bluest skies!_

 _Not knowing what the future held for us_

 _You and I dived deep into love..._

 _Searching for the things, that always remain the same_

 _I wonder how we found ourselves on that unfamiliar place_

 _If the future brings us to the place where we belong,_

 _I promise I will live again 'cuz it's you that keeps me strong!_

 _As life unfolds I try to find a reason to live on..._

 _I embrace the life that I have as long as it's not wrong._

 _The lights_ _illuminate the path that we both walked upon_

 _Glancing back in time I smile knowing that I'm not alone!_

 _Searching for the things, that always remain the same_

 _I'll never forget your smile on that bright sunny day!_

 _My feelings they will never change transcending time and space_

 _I just wanna meet you now that you've gone without a trace_

 _I just wanna meet you now that you've gone so far away..._

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The days started out as any day. Makoto Kono was no different unlike any other girl her age. Some have good and bad days, some have good luck, some not so much. It was weeks before summer vacation, and it was her last year of high school. Like everybody else, she was unsure of her future and had no obligation what kind of a career to pursue. One day, her life changed forever.

One morning, she overslept and was late for school as usual. She rode her kinky bicycle on the way to school carrying peaches in her basket to deliver to her mother's sister Auntie Witch, who works as an art restorer in the Tokyo National Museum.

Her best friends are Kōsuke Tsuda and Chiaki Mamiya, who she hangs out with everyday after school and play baseball. Kōsuke was studious, caring, and quiet. Chiaki was laid-back, lazy, and a playful guy.

The day went by not according to plan, by cutting it close she couldn't finish her pop quiz and received a low score. In cooking class, everyone was to make fried tempura, and accidentally set the classroom on fire in a result singed her bangs. After class, alongside her friend Yuri, male students were messing around swinging and tossing another student, resulting him tossed body slammed against Makoto falling on the ground on another student in the courtyard.

Makoto was on clean up duty and her turn to deliver notebooks to an upstairs classroom. On the chalkboard, she reads a quote by an anonymous author. " _Time waits for no one."_

A noise coming from another classroom next door, she goes in investigating inside the science lab. The room was locked and no one was inside. She walks back to leave when she discovered a walnut-shaped device. As she goes to pick up the device, she inadvertently trips as she hears the noise again but did not get a good image of the person, landing on the walnut-shaped device.

Not knowing what happened, the day wasn't going well for her. After remembering to deliver the peaches for her aunt, her bicycle breaks stop functioning, Makoto tried to stop the bike before crashing into the guard rail, she leaped after crashing onto the guard rail as an ongoing train passes by, _however_ , she was transported back a few minutes in time before the accident.

She later learns from her Aunt Kazuko Yoshiyama, that Makoto has the power to time leap. Time can never be reversed and time itself can never go back, meaning Makoto left through time and returned to the past, which is called a time leap.

At first, she uses her powers to extravagantly avoid being late for school, get perfect grades, and relive a single session of karaoke for several hours. She soon discovers her actions affect others. Like having another classmate name Takase take her place by switching groups causing him to reap the misfortune instead of her. He is later taunted by classmates and angrily asked Makoto why she asked him to fry the tempura. She made up a cover story hiding she had no idea it would happen but didn't believe her, causing him to go mad.

One day in the courtyard, he gets his revenge against the classmates who bullied him after the classroom misfortune. Makoto tries to stop and reason with Takase, he goes mad tossing a fire extinguisher directly toward her. Chiaki, before the events of Takase's rage, Makoto had yet again avoided a love confession from her best friend Chiaki, after a girl bravely asked if Kōsuke and her go out, he sadly turned her down. The very day, Makoto did not bring her bike and Chiaki gladly offered her a ride on his bike.

While taking her home, they talked about how everything would be different if one of them got a girlfriend and Makoto a boyfriend. She thought the three of them be together forever. Coming back to the conversation, Chiaki bravely found his courage asking if he and Makoto go out. Makoto time leaped avoiding the ride home and their previous conversation. Never knowing he confessed, and inadvertently avoid him.

He bravely intervened shielding Makoto from the fire extinguisher. Makoto time leaped again to rescue him, changing the victim to be Yuri, her female friend.

Soon after, Chiaki starts dating Yuri, leaving Makoto and Kōsuke alone at their usual after-school baseball exercises. Makoto realizes she cares about Chiaki, and regrets missing the previous chance to accept his confession.

Makoto later notes a number tattoo on her left arm, that appears to decrease over time, later realizing the number of time-leaps she has left. She later tells her aunt she will no more play with other people's feelings by time-leaping.

Later, she sees a painting her aunt has been restoring for so long, it tells a story of a time of war and famine, if someone looked at it a long time, they feel completely at peace, why did someone draw the painting when the world was on the verge of destruction. The artist is however unknown, or if it had any art value. The name of the painting is White Plum Blossoms, Two Camellia and Chrysanthemums.

She soon gets a chance to redeem her selfish acts by using her time leaps to other people's benefits -setting Kōsuke up the a shy girl under his year name Kaho, who had earlier confessed her feelings but turned her down. Kōsuke was from the volunteer club who took care of Kaho's grandmother who is confined to bed, although Kaho never met him, her grandmother talked how kind he was, and her two friends have been trying to help their friend confess her feelings.

After several failed attempts, Makoto leaps back to the date 7/13 (July 13), and manages to get Kaho with Kōsuke, but the incident leaves Kaho with a sprained ankle. Makoto satisfied she achieved something good noticed the number on her arm has changed again, '01'. Indicating she has one remaining leap.

Realizing the date, Makoto heads to the science room, hoping to figure out who entered the room that day. Her attention is diverted when she gets a text message from Kōsuke, telling her he's borrowing her bike to take Kaho to his father's clinic. This fills her with dread, recalling she nearly died the very same day.

She rushes to the same train crossing, but doesn't find Kōsuke nor Kaho there, to her temporary relief. An unexpected call from Chiaki delays her plan to warn Kōsuke by phone. Chiaki asked her if she has been time leaping, the shocked Makoto uses her last leap to avoid his question. Wondering how he knew she time leaps? As she finishes the call, Kōsuke and Kaho ride by, since she used her last time-leap, she chases after them in a mad panic, watching as Kōsuke struggling to stop the bike, before both he and Kaho hit the guard rail, flying into the path of the oncoming train.

Makoto shuts her eyes, pleading them to stop. Opening her eyes, she sees the world is frozen in time, and Chiaki is there to meet her, with her bike in hand. Chiaki explains that he can time leap as well, and he used his to steal Makoto's bike to save Kōsuke and Kaho. He explains to Makoto before she undid his question, that he is from the future, originally travelled back in time to see a destroyed painting, but has been kept waiting as it was being restored.

The era he came from, the painting was destroyed in a fire. He knew the dangers, but all he wanted was to see it. The records of the painting were unknown and the only record of its existence was in Makoto's era, the time and season, and Chiaki was going to remember it the rest of his life.

He was supposed to go back to his time, but before he knew it, it was summer. He found Makoto and Kōsuke, and their company was hard to desert, because they were too much fun. He saw a river flow across the land for the first time, he rode a bicycle for the first time, discovered how enormous the sky was, and a place full of people. Sadly, there's no baseball in his era, shocking Makoto.

The biggest question on Makoto's mind if there was a connecting between the painting in his time era. Later realizing how solitary humanity later became in Chiaki's time. He planned on staying because he liked the era.

Chiaki also mentions the object Makoto found in the science lab, it was a charger. This gave Makoto the ability to time leap. Each charger gives a person a limited number of time leaps ( the tattoo on Chiaki's wrist and Makoto's arm). Makoto used up hers, and upon saving Kaho and Kōsuke, Chiaki used up his, because a _certain_ someone blamed herself for the accident.

Because of this, he cannot return to his time and because he revealed time leaping to a past dweller. He tells Makoto he has to disappear. Keeping true to his word, he unfreezes time, and vanishes, leaving Makoto distraught.

The next day, Chiaki doesn't show up for class, many speculate what have happened to him. Kōsuke talks this over with Makoto, who is now in deep sorrow and believes to have made a mess of everyone's life, and that Chiaki is gone.

Her aunt helps her grieve over her loss, and speculated Makoto would of not ended up going out with either boy, and Makoto thought the same until now. She loves him.

Kazuko told her earlier the same thing happened to her at Makoto's age, she too, had the ability to time leap and was in love with a boy in Senior High, Kazuo Fukamachi. He later told her he would one day return to her, but many years have passed since then, bad timing she supposed. Kazuko mentions Makoto is not like her for waiting, and if a boy is late meeting up with her, she's the type to go look for him.

Later that night, Makoto looks at the numbered tattoo on her arm, it was '01' instead of zero. Chiaki time leaped canceling out her last leap the previous day, so she got her last one back. Enlightened and empowered, Makoto makes one big leap back to 7/13 to correct her wrongs once and for all. Makoto tells Yuri she likes Chiaki. Then tells Kōsuke to invite Kaho and her friends to join their baseball practice, and warns if he borrows her bike, he will owe her 5000 yen.

Finally, Makoto catches up with Chiaki, and confirms she came from the future and he has one leap left, explaining about the painting, his era, and the walnut-shaped charger which had been used up, explaining everything he told her.

Later that day, Makoto promises to preserve the painting for Chiaki to see in the future. He thanks her. With his cover blown, he has to return to the future. He asks her to bid farewell to Kōsuke for him, and asks for her to be careful and cautious. Makoto heartbroken she never got to hear his confession began to cry, but before he departed, he whispered he will be waiting in the future for her, and she in return will come running.

When Kōsuke asked the next day where Chiaki went, she says he went to study abroad. Kaho and her friends play baseball with both Makoto and Kōsuke, now dating her. Makoto also made a decision about her own future as she looks up at the sky determined she will one day be reunited with Chiaki.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

It was three days before graduation. Makoto Konno was busy studying for exams, and filing a slip for her cap and gown. She closes her textbook and looks at her numbered tattoo on her arm. Which read '00'. Having the number reminded her of _him_.

It had been several months since he last went back to the future, and often stayed up wondering if the painting made it to his time era. A thought occurred to her about a month before graduation. What year did he come from? How many years old is she in the future? Was she deceased or alive in his era?

Did he get to see the painting? Was he okay? Did he get in trouble for because he blew his cover? Did he have a family or girlfriend? The thought of him having a girlfriend sent a jealous feeling up her spine. Did he forget about her?

"He promised he wait for me." She muttered to herself.

"What did you say Makoto?"

Makoto spun around startled, it was Kōsuke. "N-Nothing! When did you get here?"

He takes a chair and sits down next to her,"Just now, your sister let me in."

Makoto sighed."Idiot."

Kōsuke chuckled."I have the lyrics and speech translated for our graduation. Here's the list of links for the exam tomorrow, it should help." She takes the papers from his hand and goes over his speech and song.

"These are great. Whoever translated the lyrics has talent for writing."

He nodded."Yeah, just so happens she's in Kaho's year, Shizuku Tsukishima."

"Thanks." She safely puts the lyrics and paper in her binder.

It was seconds before Kōsuke took a deep breath and carefully chooses his words."I cannot believe in three days we will be graduating, me getting accepted into one of the best medical schools in the country. What about you Makoto?"

She glanced at him."I decided to work with my aunt in the art museum, and maybe take a volunteer job coaching baseball."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let out a sigh."Makoto, not that I am discouraging your path. Are you sure that's all you want to do?"

"Mhm, I mean it's not like I'm going into pre-med, or work as a hotel tycoon anymore, I mean like-" she trailed off.

He noticed a faraway look in her eyes. He'd seen that look before, and he knew what she was thinking about. _Him._ He'd kept his thoughts to himself for the last several months, thinking she knows _exactly_ what happened to their friend, Chiaki. He tried getting her to talk but he knew she can't hide anything from him.

"Makoto. Tell me why working in the museum is so important to you, and the fact Chiaki has not written a single letter. You're keeping something from me and I deserve to know?"

Makoto perked up, cursing her body's betrayal."They don't have mail slots wherever he went?"

He shook his head,"No, do not deceive me. I am your friend talking and I would never leave anything out. I was sad when Chiaki left, and I know he had a thing for you. I kept his word I wouldn't say anything till he confessed himself. What was the secret you told me you would tell me someday?"

" _He still remembers?"_ she thought."I'm not telling." She said, stubbornly.

"You cannot talk to me your best friend?" he asked.

Kōsuke waited for an answer. She regained her composure and spoke on behalf of her and Chiaki."You are my best friend. We always have we always will. Chiaki sort of promised he would return someday so that is why I am sticking around waiting for him. We're not officially dating like you and Kaho, or Yuri with Shin. It does sound foolish waiting for a love to come back to me, I don't care how long it takes. I do not want you to worry about me when you go off to school, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. You have a future and so do I. When I decide to move on if he doesn't comeback then so be it."

He took in every word of her speech. So Chiaki did confess."If you love something. Set it free, if it comes back to you-"

"Then it's yours to keep." Finishing the last sentence."I know."

"You probably be better off once you meet someone, I'm not trying to contradict your feelings but you need to think about the outcome of it."

Makoto huffs angrily."Kōsuke, I do not want to say the next thing that we'll regret later. This is my life, and the path I have chosen, If he doesn't come back within the next few years, maybe laugh a little about it, you just wouldn't understand the _connection_ Chiaki and I have. I just _know_ he'll come for someday. In a few days, our friends and we are going to joining different paths. Please promise me no matter which path we take, we'll always meet at the same place."

Kōsuke nodded."Ok, I apologize, it's your life and your choice, I hope to see our friend again. I will, same place. So, listen I need you to do me a favor."

He gets down on one knee taking her hand into his. Makoto gulped. "Uh, what are you doing?" Her eyes widened and she began to speak very fast." No, no, no. I sort have a love waiting for me. I did, however, liked you at one point and I would never do this to Kaho."

Kōsuke laughed."Relax, I need you as practice how I am to propose to Kaho." He takes out a small blue box, opening to show Makoto the ring he handpicked and carved himself. It's a medium size heart-shaped diamond ring with little gold stones around, inside is the carved message reading : _Time is_ _irreversible, time for me changed when I met you. I love you, Kaho! -K._

Makoto's cheeks blush red of excitement." It's beautiful. She is going to love it."

"Thank you." He safety places the box back inside his pocket. "Tomorrow I want you to invite her to the courtyard along with her friends to meet you, instead-." he pats his pocket.

"Got it." She winked.

"She's amazing, I want to thank you for having me invite her and her friends to play baseball with us, I have no regrets and never thought I fall in love, which is why I asked for her parents' blessing, and they said yes."

"She'll be happy you asked her parents, her friends might start planning the wedding the day before graduation." She giggled at the thought.

"Yeah." He agreed."If the future is good for the both Kaho and me, I want you and your family to be in the front row with my family. I want her to have a real wedding."

"The future will be good for you two. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He checks his watch."This has been one eventful evening." He picks up his backpack strapping the buckle around his shoulder."Remember, I'm only a call away. I do not believe in luck, but remember what I said about setting a love free. You deserve to live than to wait. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kōsuke walks out her room closing the door. Makoto watches him out waving goodbye as he walks away from her house. She slumps down on her bed, his words taunting her mind. She didn't want to set him free. The moment Chiaki comes back, she'll be running into his arms.

She rolls out of bed opening the door running downstairs putting on her shoes."I'll be back later."

Makoto shuts the door behind her, and runs down the steep hill running into her neighbors, scooting away waving and continuing their business, Makoto paces herself catching her breath, she spots the familiar place in the dark the last time she and Chiaki exchanged their goodbyes, Makoto runs and jogs panting trying catch her breath.

The crescent moon reflected the waters, the evening was cool. The wind gently stroked back her hair, breathing oxygen into her lungs. She sat down on the cold grass looking up at the sky. The city lights made it hard for her to see the stars at night, but one twinkled back at her.

She sadly smiled, rolling back lying on the cold grass. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts go with the evening wind.

 _"It's three days before graduation Chiaki. K_ _ōsuke got accepted into pre-med going in as a junior, and today he showed me the ring planning to propose to his girlfriend, Kaho. They've been dating for several months, they play baseball with us, along with her friends. I wish you could be here for his wedding."_

She opened her eyes, a single tear falling across her cheek." _I wish you could be here with me. To spend nights like this, letting the world go by, running into your arms in a crowd of strangers seeing no one else but you. You_ _disappeared without any trace of you, or where I can find you."_ she thought.

"CHIAKI!" She cried out. Two people walking by gawked at her, they shake their heads and continued heading in the opposite direction. As always, she received no answer. She dreamt every night since his departure he yell back her name. She wake up saddened; because it was not real.

 _"I don't know how things would turn out if I handn't stumbled upon that charger device." S_ he flashbacks the time she stumbled upon the small charger, which practically _did_ save her life, considering she herself did/almost die crossing the other side of the tracks.

Everything became what if's, thanks to her aunt who at one time time leaped as well at Makoto's age. Very little was known about her mother's sister. The family became somewhat annoyed or worried when she will get married.

Kazuko revealed very little about her past, and the painting she has been restoring for many years. Makoto tried but could not find the right words if the painting had some kind of connection to the future, the time era of her aunt's first love and Chiaki.

Kazuko never planned on waiting for him, she revealed once she was friends with him and another classmate as if they known one another since childhood, as they grew older, the group fell apart. He promised he would wait for her, time passed by the blink of an eye.

Did the painting somehow had a connection between Kazuko with her first love, and Makoto with Chiaki? Did Chiaki somehow meet Makoto's aunt a few years before she was thought of? Or at some point met him in the past past instead of her present-past time?

If nobody in the past is supposed to know of time leaping? How did her aunt know of such a word? Was it because of a time leap error? Could Makoto somehow made an error in the future and accidentally got stuck in the past and time leaped future-self talking to her younger-self? Like one of those movies of a future-self meeting a younger-self? ' _Was I always this nuts?'_

"I'm not you. I'm me."

Makoto gasped."Auntie Witch. What're you doing here? Did you just-". Pointing fingers as Kazuko bends down sitting next to her niece.

Kazuko chuckled."No, I cannot read minds. I too, as well as you know had those same questions running in my mind except mine was male and yours is female talking about time leaping."

Makoto shushed her, looking behind for any people walking by."Keep it down. You want everyone to hear you?"

"Nights like this always calmed me. I'm practically aware my niece, Makoto. You seem sad, you want to talk about it while the night is young."

Makoto huffed."You're a witch. You really are Auntie Witch."

Kazuko crossed her legs yoga style, stretching her arms up and float to prayer position."I remember coming down here just like you, it's been a long time I enjoyed a walk in the night like this. Sometimes I wished upon a firefly instead of stars." She smiled at the thought.

"Only one star is out tonight. Kōsuke is getting married." Said Makoto.

Kazuko exchanged a look, she smiles patting her niece's shoulder."Why is it stopping you from being convenient? There's a someone out there like Kaho for Kōsuke and you." Excusing herself.

"I am happy. He's my best friend."

"Such friends can be found in this world, rare and mysterious as the saying goes." A firefly passes through her head. Kazuko hides her sad expression through her smile, Makoto studied her aunt for a second, like she was having a moment.

Makoto chooses her words before speaking."Auntie Witch?"

"Yes?"

Makoto taps her fingers."That painting you've been working on? Does it-" She gulped. Kazuko remained still, patiently waiting Makoto to ask her the question."Does it have a connection to what Chiaki and your first love had? Did he come from the same time era like Chiaki did? Does he have a name?"

Kazuko's face was hard to read. It was the kind of person she was, the same resembled baby face, mannerisms and her focus on projects like a normal busy woman."He as well has a name. Fukamachi Kazuo. I do not have the answer to the era he came from. I'm afraid my memories have somehow been erased of his existence as if he never came to my time, the memory I have of him is whenever I smell the scent of lavender."

"Wait, hold on. You've been carrying a torch for this man who somehow erased your memories of him only when you smell lavender? What about the painting?"

Kazuko breathes in and blows out."Chiaki and Kazuo, I believe they did come from the same era, though I do not know the year and time. He explained to me about the era has somehow changed humanity's ways, and the painting was destroyed in a fire."

Makoto's mouth drops, just like Chiaki had told her."If he erased your memories of him, then why answer my question? Tell me what happened next?"

"That's one memory I can barely make out from my flashback of him, he eventually time leaped to show me the painting, at that time I could no longer leap any longer, he explained about the history of the painting, and if my theory is correct, I think it was purposely destroyed, he took a picture of the painting before placing it back in the correct era. The image stayed with me, always."

Makoto shivered at the next question, feeling slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable."Did you ever meet Chiaki before I was born?"

Kazuko thought and thought."It's possible, maybe, I never noticed. Anyways, the painting has been fully restored. Everything is complete, and I have no regrets."

Makoto stared at her aunt not looking at her but at the sky, moon and the star."What do you mean? Isn't there Kazuo to wait for now? How will I know Chiaki is coming back because he hasn't been thought of yet?"

Kazuko lies on her back."There's nothing more for me now as I am a full grown lady. I'll keep doing my part, and you Makoto deserve to go running out into the world. Maybe it was never meant to be, bad timing I suppose. You deserve to live now instead of waiting."

"Are you not ever going to get married? Don't you want to find work besides the museum?"

Switching the questions as her answers to her niece always seemed to come back to her instead of Kazuko, herself."You're not like me at all. Everyone is going to get hurt emotionally rather not the other way around in physical confinement. If life were easy without challenges, it be quite boring. You see, Makoto. You're the kind to go looking, not I or anyone can see a split second or tomorrow. All you need is you to worry about now, I give you your faults."

"What does that mean?" Makoto asked as her aunt gets up brushing the grass off her skirt.

Kazuko lies a hand on Makoto's arm."I wouldn't be here today sharing this lovely evening with you, and these." She pulls out a small box out of her purse containing expensive pastries. Kazuko picks the chocolate strawberry and pops it into her mouth."Mm, I should be heading home now, as you should as well. I'm happy time brought me here to meet you, don't let nothing stand in your way to lose something meaning very much to you, goodnight to you." Kazuko bows her farewell disappearing down the road heading north to home.

Makoto sighed. Her Aunt Witch acts like a witch in retrospect but she was a good friend and family member to turn to. An airplane soars through the east side of the river. It was starting to get cold and she didn't bring a coat with her.

Makoto hurries home taking her shoes off before entering the hallway of her home. She sets the box of pastries on the table as her family eats watermelon.

"Makoto, you're just in time for watermelon." Said her father.

"No thank you, Dad."

Miyuki, Makoto's sister, sets down her watermelon taking the box Makoto placed on the table."Who gave you these pastries? They look expensive?"

Makoto pours herself a cup of iced-tea."I ran into Auntie Witch. She gave to me as a gift for helping her out in the museum."

"I still don't understand why you want to work with her in that museum. A painting is worth more if the person is dead. You've never been interested since last summer." Miyuki criticizes Makoto's future.

Her cheeks stain red."You have one year left to go to high school. Why not be a little supportive how I should and should not decide my future. It's not like I'm going into pre-med."

"That's enough girls." Said their mother. "Miyuki, that was uncalled for. Makoto, my sister Kazuko barely manages on minimum wage. Sooner or later, many things are going to go obsolete, I keep wondering when she will get married." She gets up from her chair clearing the table.

"Your grandmother pitied her." Said her father.

Makoto's mother corrects him."Well, not really pity. She can be quite mysterious and stubborn when it comes to her love life. My mother quit trying long before she started working in the Tokyo Museum.

Miyuki cut in."I think it's sad. Not to deserve a man to make her happy. Look at Makoto, she turned down every boy even though she sees them every day."

Makoto cocked her head towards her sister."Hey! Leave me out of this. I'm nothing like Auntie Witch."

Miyuki stuck her tongue at Makoto."Look who's talking."

"Ok, settle down." said their father.

Makoto gulps down her tea."I'm nothing like Auntie Witch. She will have her love come back and so will I." She takes off running upstairs slamming the door.

"What did she mean by that?" asked her mother.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Makoto stripped off her clothes and sat in the tub. She lifts her left wet arm out of the tub, sighing sadly she cannot time leap any longer to meet Chiaki. Only he can meet her. How long is he going to make her wait? Makoto punches the water angrily, she takes a deep breath and goes in the water.

Seconds later, she can't bring herself up to the surface to breathe. Like what happened before it was like _something_ was drowning her. Makoto tries to call for help but only bubbles came out making it impossible for anyone to hear her.

" _Hehhlp!"_ Makoto cried in the bath water.

Another minute before blacking out of oxygen, Makoto resurfaces. Coughing and breathing dry air back into her lungs. She drains the water and grabs a towel off the rack drying herself. She sits down on a chair."I almost died."

"Maybe I should start taking showers for now on."

After thirty minutes of drying, combining her hair, brushing her teeth, Makoto switches off her light and looks at her window of the dark, quiet night. She thought about what her family, Kōsuke and her aunt said today.

' _If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, then it's yours to keep.'_

 _'I'm not you. I'm me. You deserve to live now instead of waiting.'_

 _'Look at Makoto, she turned_ _down every boy even though she sees them everyday.'_

 _Bong!_ Then everything went dark, and there was a faint light at the end of the tunnel. A voice Makoto could barely make out either she was dreaming or was in shock. The voice called out to her." _I"m here to keep to that_ -omise _-. Look for me."_

Makoto woke up switching on her light. She looked at her clock which read 4:30 A.M. Makoto turns out her light and falls back to sleep.

 **(A/N: How was that? I'm actually looking foreword to the next chapter. Sorry there was no Chiaki, well maybe a little. Te he. Like I said, Kazuko or Auntie Witch will be playing an important part in the story. I got her name off of a Manga and snuck in from the movie of young Kazuko time leaping. I'll be sneaking parts from the movie and manga, all to fit to give Kazuko a little back story.**

 **Please leave me a review or more. I'll write as fast as I can. See you next chapter. Oh, and by the way, the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter, I take NO CREDIT for writing them. It's the lyrics to a cover song of Kawaranai Mono in English by Monistar on youtube. Go check her out, it's one of the best covers of TGWLTT.)**


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